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How Yan's calculated approach and adaptability overcame Figueiredo's dazzling power.
The fight between Petr Yan and Deiveson Figueiredo was a pivotal moment in the careers of both men. Yan recently snapped the only losing streak of his career, and a win over Figueiredo was desperately needed to show that he can make a credible attempt at regaining his former title. For the ageing Figueiredo, a move to Bantamweight after losing his Flyweight belt set up one final title run. After winning three straight at 135lbs, a win over Yan would solidify his spot in the title picture.
Figueiredo’s power and his craft in applying it makes him a dangerous fight for just about anyone. But Yan in particular tends to do his best work pressuring his opponents, driving up the pace, and playing with their reactions inside punching range to extend exchanges. In order to play his A-game effectively against Figueiredo, he would need to get close, and getting close risks giving Figueiredo the opportunities his skillset is optimized to take advantage of.
We eventually saw some typical Yan buzzsawing, but early on in the fight he took a more patient approach that better exploited some of Figueiredo’s downsides. Figueiredo’s stance leaves no questions about what he wants to do - with his feet spread farther than shoulder width apart, his lead hand extending out from his body, and his right hand around nipple-high, his primary goal is to shove his rear hand through his opponent’s jaw as hard as he can.
But the wide, deep stance that leaves him perfectly optimized to shut the lights out whenever opponents give him an opening also hangs his lead leg out in front of him. Yan began exploiting that immediately with side kicks to the knee, chipping away at the stance and base that allows Figueiredo to wallop with such consistency.
These low side kicks come up so often because they’re one of the safest ways to poke at an opponent without stepping into them. They attack the nearest possible target with the longest possible weapon, and Figueiredo’s wide stance only made his lead leg an even closer target.
The beauty of these kicks is that they can put a knee out if they land just right, but even if they don’t wind up hurting, they still directly attack the weight transfer necessary to deliver power. To land his rear hand, Figueiredo needs to step forward with his lead foot and transfer weight onto it, making him a mark for a hard kick to the knee. By constantly showing the low side kicks early on, Yan kept him hesitant to commit weight to the lead foot and limited when he could comfortably initiate his power punches.
Yan also attacked the lead leg with more powerful outside leg kicks, but the threat of the side kicks allowed him to step into those leg kicks without fear of a counter. There’s three basic ways to defend a leg kick - either pick the leg up to check, draw it back to make the kick fall short, or step in deep with weight on the lead leg and counter. Figueiredo’s wide, set stance and heavy rear hand makes him a constant threat to step down the middle of the kick and blast a counter, but his stance isn’t optimized for any other method of defense. The low side kicks, however, present a linear threat that can’t be easily jammed and encouraged Figueiredo to keep his lead foot light.
Yan paired the low side kicks with constant foot feints, taking small, choppy steps in with his lead foot to throw off Figueiredo’s timing. Between the side kicks and the feints, Figueiredo had little success timing his outside leg kicks and Yan was able to land them for free early. Yan was also immediately ready to counter off his leg kicks, using a lead hook to reset his stance and ward Figueiredo off following him back with counters.
The lead leg body kick has always played a role in Yan’s fights, but he typically uses it as a distance closing weapon. He’ll step up with his rear leg and throw the body kick at a retreating opponent, planting his kicking foot down right in front of them and continuing on with punches as he eats up space. He threw a few of those against Figueiredo, but his lead leg was mainly used for another purpose - attacking Figueiredo’s rear hand.
Yan directed many of his kicks off the lead leg upstairs. They weren’t the sort of quick, lean-back kicks that can catch the face cold by flicking up the leg at a moment’s notice. Figueiredo could see them coming and always had time to block, but blocking the kicks meant keeping his rear hand pinned at his head where it wasn’t a threat to Yan. Kicking the arms of a puncher to occupy their punching weapons is a classic tactic in striking sports that hasn’t seen widespread use in MMA, but given the right matchup it offers a lot of utility.
The high kicks allowed Yan to condition Figueiredo to block high and land his kicks clean to the body later in the fight. He also started to put punching entries behind them, retracting his lead leg back to square up after the kick and immediately springing forward while Figueiredo was still recovering.
Figueiredo found limited success for the first half of the fight and greatly struggled to create situations where his offense could flourish. Yan keyed in on controlling the distance - poking and prodding at Figueiredo, forcing him to overreact, and remaining parsimonious about when to commit. He comfortably picked at and neutralized Figueiredo in both stances, retreating to safety when Figueiredo went on the offensive. When Figueiredo tried to kick back, Yan was able to check them consistently, as Figueiredo’s wide stance added extra telegraph to the motion.
In open stance engagements, Yan would control Figueiredo’s lead hand while remaining far enough away to avoid his rear. When they adopted the same stance, Yan would circle away from Figueiredo’s rear hand at range and use his extended lead hand to shut it down when Figueiredo’s rushed forward.
I’ve been critical of Yan’s willingness to give ground in other fights, as his offense operates best at close range and he has the defensive eyes to stay in the pocket. But Figueiredo’s power and relative lack of effectiveness on the outside made it a good decision here. Whenever Figueiredo wanted to land his rear hand on the lead, he needed to step forward with his lead leg to close distance, which would alert Yan to back up and extend his lead hand in a quasi long guard. Figueiredo’s rear hand would bounce harmlessly off his shoulder and he could reset and reengage.
While Figueiredo’s path to victory involved hurting Yan repeatedly with committed punches, Yan’s willingness to moderate his power made it difficult for Figueiredo to land clean on the counter as well. When Figueiredo tried to close distance with his rear hand it would end up telegraphed and over-committed, but Yan was able to pick him off with a quick, near weightless rear hand lead.
The fight between Petr Yan and Deiveson Figueiredo was a pivotal moment in the careers of both men. Yan recently snapped the only losing streak of his career, and a win over Figueiredo was desperately needed to show that he can make a credible attempt at regaining his former title. For the ageing Figueiredo, a move to Bantamweight after losing his Flyweight belt set up one final title run. After winning three straight at 135lbs, a win over Yan would solidify his spot in the title picture.
Figueiredo’s power and his craft in applying it makes him a dangerous fight for just about anyone. But Yan in particular tends to do his best work pressuring his opponents, driving up the pace, and playing with their reactions inside punching range to extend exchanges. In order to play his A-game effectively against Figueiredo, he would need to get close, and getting close risks giving Figueiredo the opportunities his skillset is optimized to take advantage of.
We eventually saw some typical Yan buzzsawing, but early on in the fight he took a more patient approach that better exploited some of Figueiredo’s downsides. Figueiredo’s stance leaves no questions about what he wants to do - with his feet spread farther than shoulder width apart, his lead hand extending out from his body, and his right hand around nipple-high, his primary goal is to shove his rear hand through his opponent’s jaw as hard as he can.
But the wide, deep stance that leaves him perfectly optimized to shut the lights out whenever opponents give him an opening also hangs his lead leg out in front of him. Yan began exploiting that immediately with side kicks to the knee, chipping away at the stance and base that allows Figueiredo to wallop with such consistency.
These low side kicks come up so often because they’re one of the safest ways to poke at an opponent without stepping into them. They attack the nearest possible target with the longest possible weapon, and Figueiredo’s wide stance only made his lead leg an even closer target.
The beauty of these kicks is that they can put a knee out if they land just right, but even if they don’t wind up hurting, they still directly attack the weight transfer necessary to deliver power. To land his rear hand, Figueiredo needs to step forward with his lead foot and transfer weight onto it, making him a mark for a hard kick to the knee. By constantly showing the low side kicks early on, Yan kept him hesitant to commit weight to the lead foot and limited when he could comfortably initiate his power punches.
Yan also attacked the lead leg with more powerful outside leg kicks, but the threat of the side kicks allowed him to step into those leg kicks without fear of a counter. There’s three basic ways to defend a leg kick - either pick the leg up to check, draw it back to make the kick fall short, or step in deep with weight on the lead leg and counter. Figueiredo’s wide, set stance and heavy rear hand makes him a constant threat to step down the middle of the kick and blast a counter, but his stance isn’t optimized for any other method of defense. The low side kicks, however, present a linear threat that can’t be easily jammed and encouraged Figueiredo to keep his lead foot light.
Yan paired the low side kicks with constant foot feints, taking small, choppy steps in with his lead foot to throw off Figueiredo’s timing. Between the side kicks and the feints, Figueiredo had little success timing his outside leg kicks and Yan was able to land them for free early. Yan was also immediately ready to counter off his leg kicks, using a lead hook to reset his stance and ward Figueiredo off following him back with counters.
The lead leg body kick has always played a role in Yan’s fights, but he typically uses it as a distance closing weapon. He’ll step up with his rear leg and throw the body kick at a retreating opponent, planting his kicking foot down right in front of them and continuing on with punches as he eats up space. He threw a few of those against Figueiredo, but his lead leg was mainly used for another purpose - attacking Figueiredo’s rear hand.
Yan directed many of his kicks off the lead leg upstairs. They weren’t the sort of quick, lean-back kicks that can catch the face cold by flicking up the leg at a moment’s notice. Figueiredo could see them coming and always had time to block, but blocking the kicks meant keeping his rear hand pinned at his head where it wasn’t a threat to Yan. Kicking the arms of a puncher to occupy their punching weapons is a classic tactic in striking sports that hasn’t seen widespread use in MMA, but given the right matchup it offers a lot of utility.
The high kicks allowed Yan to condition Figueiredo to block high and land his kicks clean to the body later in the fight. He also started to put punching entries behind them, retracting his lead leg back to square up after the kick and immediately springing forward while Figueiredo was still recovering.
Figueiredo found limited success for the first half of the fight and greatly struggled to create situations where his offense could flourish. Yan keyed in on controlling the distance - poking and prodding at Figueiredo, forcing him to overreact, and remaining parsimonious about when to commit. He comfortably picked at and neutralized Figueiredo in both stances, retreating to safety when Figueiredo went on the offensive. When Figueiredo tried to kick back, Yan was able to check them consistently, as Figueiredo’s wide stance added extra telegraph to the motion.
In open stance engagements, Yan would control Figueiredo’s lead hand while remaining far enough away to avoid his rear. When they adopted the same stance, Yan would circle away from Figueiredo’s rear hand at range and use his extended lead hand to shut it down when Figueiredo’s rushed forward.
I’ve been critical of Yan’s willingness to give ground in other fights, as his offense operates best at close range and he has the defensive eyes to stay in the pocket. But Figueiredo’s power and relative lack of effectiveness on the outside made it a good decision here. Whenever Figueiredo wanted to land his rear hand on the lead, he needed to step forward with his lead leg to close distance, which would alert Yan to back up and extend his lead hand in a quasi long guard. Figueiredo’s rear hand would bounce harmlessly off his shoulder and he could reset and reengage.
While Figueiredo’s path to victory involved hurting Yan repeatedly with committed punches, Yan’s willingness to moderate his power made it difficult for Figueiredo to land clean on the counter as well. When Figueiredo tried to close distance with his rear hand it would end up telegraphed and over-committed, but Yan was able to pick him off with a quick, near weightless rear hand lead.
